Discount-wheel



(No Model.)

J. M. WADDEL 8v D. R. CANNY.

v DISCOUNT WHEEL,- N0. 582,406.

Patented May 11, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

JOHN M. WADDEL AND DAVID R. OANNY, OF GREENFIELD, OHIO.

DISCOUNT-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,406, dated May 11, 1897.

Application filed November 14, 1896. Serial No. 612,094. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN M. lVADDEL and DAVID R. CANNY, citizens of the United States, and residents of Greenfield, in the county of Highland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Discount- Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is a discountwheel to be set in motion by a coin or token and provided with an indicator ribbon or band suitably numbered and an index to indicate when the wheel stops the amount of discount the customer is entitled to on any purchase made.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings and particularly referred to and pointed out in the claims. Both sides of the device are alike in construction, excepting that the bottom of the cabinet, at its rear, is provided with a tilting lid and lock-drawer for convenience of the clerk or attendant.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference-letters wherever they occur throughout the various views, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the device with a portion of the edge of the cabinet and housing for the operating mechanism broken away to more clearly show the parts. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation with the upper and lower parts of the rim broken away, showing the parts of the case back of it in vertical transverse section and the tilting shelf and its operating parts in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly in vertical section and part-1y in elevation, upon an enlarged scale of the mechanism for setting the wheel in motion. Fig. 4 is a detail view, in side elevation, of part of the case-rim, showing the coin-receiving lever in elevation. Fig. 5 is a detail View, in axial section, of thehub or spool of the wheel and its bearings.

The rim of the case or cabinet A is preferably made of a single piece of bent wood securedto a base A, the lower portion of the case being strengthened by a box or cabinet A which is provided on one side with a drawer a, and above it a pivoted or tilting shelf a.

The sides of the case above the lower cabinet are closed by glass plates which are held in grooves formed by rabbets in the finishingbeads a and the edges of the rim A. To the inside upper portion of the rim A is secured a U-shaped yoke B, which is similar to the fork and crown of the steering-wheel of the wellknown safety-bicycle, and in the lower'ends of the yoke-legs is journaled the wheel 0, which is formed similar to the steering-wheel of a bicycle. The rim 0 is preferably painted or colored in imitation of a pneumatic tire to give it an attractive appearance. The spool o is axially perforated to pass the shaft or axle D and is counterbored around the perforation to receive the ball-bearings cl, which are held in place by the cones d, which are screwed onto the end of the axle D, the extended ends of which pass through the lower ends of the yoke-arms, the said arms being clamped firmly against the outer ends of the cones d by the nuts d Interlaced through the spokes c of the wheel is a band E, which has marked upon its opposite faces numerals to indicate the discount the customer is entitled to on his purchase, which is determined by the number opposite the pointerF when the wheel comes to a stop after being set in motion by a coin or token. The pointer is preferably a metal strip, secured upon the part A, extending above and alongside of the wheel-rim and holding at its upper end a flexible finger which extends between the spokes proper and the pins 0 which are passed through the rim and perforations in the band E to assist in keeping the latter in place.

Motion is imparted to the wheel by a pawl G, pivoted on the depending arm h of the ring or perforated disk II, which fits loosely over the neck of the spool O. The serrated upper end of the pawl G is inclined to slide freely over the neck of the spool while being moved to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, and to bear upon said neck and give an impetus to the wheel when swung toward the position shown in full lines. When it reaches this position, the teeth are disengaged from the neck, permitting the wheel to revolve until its momentum is spent.

The rim of the case is out out on one side, and within the side walls of the perforation is journaled upon a fixed rod j a plate J, which has perforated lugs turned at a right angle to its body to pass the journal-rod j. One of the lugs has a downwardly-extending arm j, which is connected by a rodj to the lower end of the pawl G. The plate J has a detent or shortarm j extending down centrally from it to be engaged by a coin or token K, held in one arm of an angle-lever L, which, when said lever is thrown inwardly, throws the pawl to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3. The sprin g j, coiled around the pivot-rod j, has one end hooked around the lower edge of the plate J and its opposite end bearing against or fixed to the rim A. This spring returns the arm j to its normal position, as shown in full lines, and starts the wheel revolving.

The angle-lever L is pivoted in a housing M, which is fixed to the outside of the rim A. The upwardly-extending arm L of the lever L has its upper edge slotted to pass the detentj when not covered by the coin or token K. To the inner face of the arm L is secured an inclined bracket Z to receive and hold a coin or token dropped through a slot in the top of the housing until the lever L is thrown up, when the coin drops from its bracket, strikes against the spring-arm at, which is secured upon a stud which holds a bell or gong N in front of the case side, as seen in Fig. 1. The coin rebounds from the spring, strikes the gong and gives audible notice that the device has been operated. hen the coin or token has been released, the spring j snaps the plate J and its arm 7" back to its normal position, and by means of its connection with the pawl G sets the wheel in motion.

Upon the lever L is pivoted a plate Z,which isheld in its normal position against the outer walls of the housing M by a spring Z one end of which is secured to the lever-arm L and its opposite end to the edge of the plate Z. Vhen the lever is thrown up, the plate is moved inwardly until stopped by a rod Z in which position it guards the coin-receiving slot in the top of housing at and prevents the lever being tampered with until it is released. hen the plate is in its normal position, it guards the lever-slot in the end of the housing and prevents tampering with the clutchoperating mechanism.

The tilting shelf a is actuated by a crosshead 0 against the pressure of the spring 0, which is secured upon a stud or shaft journaled in the rear wall of the cabinet A The outer end of the shaft is made angular to receive a removable key 0', which is to be kept by the attendant, and the drawer a is provided with a lock (t the key of which is kept by the proprietor.

The operation of the device is as follows: The coin or token being dropped into the slot in the housing M falls between the bracket Z and theinner face of the lever-arm L, closing the slot in its upper end. The lever L now being tilted forward, the coin, striking the detentj as the lever is moved upward, throws the arm 3' and pawl G to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and discharges the coin or token, which, being deflected against the gong N, gives audible notice that the devicehas been operated. So soon as the coin has been dislodged from the bracket the spring i returns the arm and pawl G with a sudden movement back to the position shown in full. line, Figs. 1 and 3, and imparts a rotary motion to the wheel 0, which continues until its momentum is overcome, and when it has stopped the finger of the pointer F, which will stop between one of the spokes and inwardlyprojecting pins, will indicate by the number above it on the index-strip the discount the customer is entitled to. The coin or token is discharged upon the tilting shelf in view of the attendant in order that he may see that it is a coin of the desired value or a token furnished the customer by the owner. So soon as the attendant has satisfied himself upon this point the shelf is tilted and the coin or token dropped into the drawer a, to be removed by the proprietor or bookkeeper at any time desired.

It is obvious that many mere mechanical variations may be made in the operative mechanism without departing from the spirit or scope of our invention; and hence we do not desire to be limited to the precise details shown.

. hat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a discount-wheel the combination of the case, the wheel-fork secured thereto, the wheel journaled in said fork and suitably numbered, the finger fixed to the case to point to one of the numbers when the wheel is at rest, an angle-lever having a bracket to receive a coin or token, a swinging plate in the path of said coin or token when the lever is tilted, and a pawl mechanism on the hub of the wheel to impart motion to the wheel when the lever carrying the coin is tilted and released.

2. The combination of the case, the wheelfork secured therein, a skeleton wheel journaled in the lower ends of said fork, an indexed or numbered strip interlaced between the spokes of said wheel, a plate or support secured to the case, a flexible index-finger held by said support and protruding between the spokes to point to the discount-number upon the strip when the wheel comes to a rest, a ring passed over the neck of the wheel-hub and having a depending arm, a pawl pivoted to said arm to bear against the wheel, a swinging plate having a depending arm pivoted in the case-rim, a rod connecting the lower end of the arm to the pawl, an angle-lever pivoted in. the housing outside of the case and having a bracket-arm to receive a coin or token dropped through a slot in the housing, which coin engages a detent 011 the swinging plate when the lever is tilted to throw the pawl around on the neck of the wheel-hub, a spring to return the swinging plate and its depending arm to its normal position and set IIO the wheel in motion when the coin or token is discharged, and a housing having a slot to receive a coin or token and also slotted to pass the end of the actuating-lever for setting the wheel in motion, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination as hereinbefore set forth of the case, the wheel-fork secured thereto, the indexed wheel having a spoolhub centrally perforated and its ends counterbored to receive ball-bearings, the journal-shaft passing through the said spool and Wheel-fork, the cones screwed upon the ends of said shaft, the ball-bearings held between said cones and the recessed ends of said hub, the nuts to clamp the wheel-fork againstthe cone-bearings, a ring fitting loosely over one neck of the spool and having a depending arm, a pawl pivoted to the lower end of said arm having its upper end notched to engage the neck of the spool, a lever mechanism extending to the outside of the case and connected to the pawl to impart motion to the 4. In a discount-wheel the combination of the case, the Wheel-fork secured thereto, a wheel journaled in said forks, an angle-lever having abracket to receive a coin or token, a swinging plate in the path of said coin or token when the lever is tilted, a pawl mechanism connected to the spool of the Wheel, a rod connecting the swinging plate and pawl mechanism, and a gong or hell secured to the inside of the case below the lever mechanism upon which the coin drops when the lever is tilted to impart motion to the Wheel for the purpose of sounding an alarm when the wheel has been operated, substantially as shown and described.

JNO. M. YVADDEL. DAVID R. OANNY. Witnesses:

J NO. F. WADDEL, LAWRENCE HEISKELL. 

